


4 Hours until Tomorrow

by FerretInTheRoom



Category: Harley Quinn (Cartoon 2019)
Genre: F/F, Not Beta Read, lots of swearing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-21
Updated: 2020-05-21
Packaged: 2021-03-02 20:15:41
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,697
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24302752
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FerretInTheRoom/pseuds/FerretInTheRoom
Summary: Harley has a dream turned nightmare.Small what-if fic, following S02x07
Relationships: Pamela Isley/Harleen Quinzel
Comments: 13
Kudos: 149





	4 Hours until Tomorrow

“Hi!”

“We did it.” Ivy smiled, half out of breath, as she set Harley gently to the ground. The desert air was calm but frigid. Neither noticed; they were both running hot from the adrenaline of saving or being saved.

And, in the heat of the moment amidst the billions of stars in the night sky, something clicked for Harley. Her eyes widened almost imperceptibly before she surged forward to capture her savior’s lips in a heated kiss.

As _right_ as the moment had felt, it was but a fleeting moment before it left. All she was left with, as she broke apart and stared at her best friend with a _what-the-fuck-just-happened_ kind of look, was the dread that seeped deep into the pit of her stomach.

Ivy stared at her dumbfounded and Harley found herself desperately reaching for some semblance of an explanation…an excuse.

She tried laughing it off, albeit weakly. “Haha…you know,” she gestured wildly. “My hero, mwah! All that jazz.”

Ivy continued to stare at her, unblinking.

“Uh…” Harley tapered off, mouth slightly agape. “Say something here, Ive. You’re scaring me.” She waved a hand in front of her friend’s vapid stare.

“Hello? Ive?”

Just as she was getting ready to shake her friend by the shoulders to snap her out of it, Ivy lunged forward and pressed her lips to hers in a fervor. A thousand emotions flashed through Harley’s heart as it swelled: amongst them, relief, warmth…and happiness.

In a split second, Harley knew that she was in love with her best friend...who was marrying someone else.

The next, Harley was sitting up in bed, gasping; her throat, killing her. Beads of sweat dripped down her face as she stared at the alarm clock blinking in the corner. _3:17 am._

A dream mixed with a memory, the cruelest kind. She groaned loudly, grabbing her pillow and slamming it into her face.

Her face was heated as she thought back to the night in _the pit_ , as Bane had affectionately called it. Ivy had come around to her ‘trope’ joke and laughed the whole thing off; they hadn’t spoken a word of it since. It had been two weeks…a very _long_ fourteen days complete with Ivy practically jumping back into the Kite’s arms as she dove headfirst into planning her wedding.

Which was in about…6 days.

She groaned loudly. “If it was going to be like this, you shoulda just let me die,” she cursed out.

“Uh…what are you doing?”

Harley bolted upright, throwing the pillow away from her face. She half wondered if she was hallucinating.

“Are you real or are you a figment of my imagination coming to kill me?” she deadpanned, staring at the figure leaning against her makeshift doorway.

Ivy chuckled lowly. “If i was a figment of your imagination, I _couldn't_ kill you. Paradox, ya know?” As she made her way closer towards her, Harley noticed she was carrying two steaming mugs.

Harley shrugged, giving her a small sigh. “Yeah, guess you’re real. What’re you doing here Ive?”

Her ~~unrequited love~~ friend was dressed in nothing but an over-sized t-shirt – Harley shuddered as she imagined it belonging to _Kite Man_ – and she had to fight down a blush ( _not like the outfit left much to the imagination_ ) _as_ Ivy slowly handed one of the mugs over to Harley. Harley took a long sip -- partially to compose herself but, not going to lie, the smooth chocolate was doing wonders on her throat.

_Was she sure she wasn’t dreaming or…_

“You were being quite loud actually. Screaming like someone was going to kill you.” She finally took a seat on the edge of the bed as she sipped her drink. “Also cocoa,” she nodded towards Harley.

Harley furrowed her brow. “I was…screaming? That doesn’t make any sense…” she trailed off, staring into the brown liquid.

Ivy quirked an eyebrow, “Why not?”

Harley whipped around to stare at her. “Because I was…” _dreaming you loved me back._ She had to force the words to the back of her throat. She couldn’t say it….it would be so selfish. Ivy deserved this one, _good_ thing in her life. Kite Man might not deserve her, but neither did Harley. And Kite Man was the _one_ person that Ivy actually wanted to marry. She said so herself.

Ivy looked a little take aback by Harley’s violent outburst. “Because you were…?” she attempted to guide the smaller woman into continuing her line of thought.

Harley shook her head, smiling wryly as she remembered the end of her dream. “Nothin’ Ive. I just dreamt I lost something important.” _Someone._

Ivy raised her eyebrows skeptically. “Excuse me, you’re telling me you woke up half of New-New Gotham – not to mention, me, who then was compelled to get up to make you a drink to make you feel better…. _which let me tell you is not as easy as it sounds in a post-apocalyptic world with no running water_ – because you. lost. a. toy.”

For an instant Harley gaped at the indignant lady sitting at the foot of her bed, looking ridiculous and practically floating in that shirt while holding a mug that said “ _oh you wish you were here_ ”. Then she burst out laughing. After a half-beat, Ivy joined her as well.

It was a good couple of minutes before _“CAN YOU TWO PLEASE SHUT THE FUCK UP”_ rang out from somewhere in the mall duly serving as a killjoy for the brief reprieve.

Harley sighed contentedly, wiping the tears from her eyes. “Well, looks like Psycho’s up.”

“Ah, the midget can go shit himself,” Ivy quipped, smiling at Harley. “I missed this.”

Harley’s eyes crinkled as she smiled back. “Me too, Ive.”

“Are…” Ivy uncharacteristically paused, looking unsure of herself. “Are we okay?” She suddenly looked up and locked eyes with Harley so intensely that Harley felt her throat go dry.

“Uh, what?” She spit out the words, not sure how to approach the question. “What do you mean?”

Ivy furrowed her eyebrows as she gestured between them. “I mean…maybe it’s just been me, but we’ve been off since the…” She trailed off and Harley sighed.

“Yeah I know.”

“And now, you have the audacity not only to lie about your nightmare, but to think _I_ of all people _would actually_ believe it…”

At this, Harley got offended.

“I didn’t lie _…_ ” she trailed off when Ivy fixed her with a skeptical look. “I may have bent the truth a little,” she muttered, in half-hearted acquiescence.

“Yea, that’s what I thought.”

A comfortable lull in the conversation developed, and both Harley and Ivy sat there listening to the distant screams of New-New Gotham. Harley’s alarm clock ticked on. _4:23 am._

“So…” Ivy started again, glancing at Harley.

“So…” Harley shrugged noncommittally, staring daggers into the wall.

“ _Soareyougoingtotellmewhathappenedornot?”_ Ivy rambled nervously, staring at Harley.

“Uh…come again?”

Ivy sighed. “Look Harley,” She took Harley’s non-Cocoa-occupied hand. “You’re my best friend. And if something’s plaguing you with nightmares, you need to tell me.”

Harley furrowed her eyebrows. “Don’t cha think ‘ _plaguing’_ is a little much for one nightmare?”

Ivy looked at her incredulously. “ _One?_ This has been going on for weeks! Psycho was ready to put you in the basement. You know where Sy’s sister once…”

“Yea…I know, Ive.” Harley interjected, rolling her eyes. “I didn’t realize it was that bad.”

“Uh…yea Harls. I’m surprised this is the first time you’ve woken up.”

Ivy let out a low breath.

“Is it Joker?”

“Wha…”

“Is that the reason you don’t want to tell me? You’re worried you’re still in love with him?” Ivy looked like she wanted to strangle something but was gallantly trying, but failing, to contain her avid disdain for the supervillain.

“I know he’s all _‘goodie goodie_ ’ now, but I still think he’s no good for y-“

Harley shook her head. “What? Oh no, ew. Ivy, how could you even think that. It’s _not_ the damn Joker.”

“Oh thank _god_.” Ivy was fully facing Harley now, relief evident in her face. “I mean,” the plant woman tried to rapidly compose her face into a more neutral expression. “You know you could totally tell me if it was him.”

“It’s not the Joker, Ivy.” Harley deadpanned. “It’s…”

Her friend remained silent as Harley tried to gather her thoughts.

Obviously, trying to bury these…feelings…wasn’t working. It was keeping her friends up at night…Ivy up at night.

“I was dreaming about the pit.”

Harley hoped Ivy would just drop it there and that would be the end of it.

Unfortunately for her, that wasn’t the case.

“What…about the pit?” Harley could tell, Ivy was trying to word her responses carefully. “I mean, you did almost die, Harls. It’s normal to be –”

“No.” Harley interjected, looking Ivy right in the eye. “Look, that’s not it. I was dreaming about what happened after –”

She could have sworn Ivy went red – or darker green as it were. But with the god-awful lighting and Harley’s own, over-active imagination, the probabilities of that being true were about 0.

“I – you were having a nightmare about our…” she seemed to stumble for a moment. “… _kiss,”_ she hissed out, looking at Harley incredulously.

Harley must have half-nodded, _uh-it was kinda true_ , because Ivy abruptly stood up, knocking her idle cup of cocoa to the ground.

_Oh shit._

Her friend was doing a poor attempt to try and school her emotions but Harley could tell Ivy’s expression was half hurt, half horrified as Ivy latched on to an idea that couldn’t have been further from the truth.

“Look, I’m sorry that kissing me has horrified and disgusted you so much that you’ve been having almost _daily_ nightmares on it.” Ivy was talking rapidly now, and it broke Harley’s heart that she could practically hear the tears start to seep into Ivy’s voice.

“Ive – _Ivy wait_.” Harley scrambled to the foot of her bed, grabbing the hem of Ivy’s shirt as she attempted to rush out of her room.

“I… _no Harley_ , you need to let me go right this second or so help me god—”

“It’s not that,” she quickly gurgled out in an attempt to prevent the plant woman from forcibly extricating Harley from her body.

Ivy’s voice was tense and buying none of it. “Harleen Frances Quinzel, you let go of me right this instant.”

 _God, the way she said that it was like Harley had a hold of more than just the edge of her shirt._ The thought almost made Harley smile but there were bigger issues afoot.

“No. Look at me Ives.”

“Harl-“

Unable to take it anymore, Harley finally sat up on the edge of the bed and let her arms sneak around Ivy’s waist, cocoa mug and all.

“Please Ive.”

Ivy didn’t turn around, but she at least stopped struggling to leave. Harley would count that as a small win.

“What do you want to say.” Ivy’s words were decidedly measured and devoid of emotion. Harley knew she only had one shot to convey the truth before all words would be lost on Ivy for the remainder of the night.

“It’s because I love you.”

“Are you seri-“ Ivy’s voice cracked as she tried, with significantly more force than prior, to extricate herself from Harley’s grasp and take her leave. Harley tightened her grip.

“You’re not listening to me Ivy.”

Ivy let out a half-baked laugh. “Oh yeah, you’re having nightmares about kissing your best—” she paused a moment. “ _ex-_ best friend…” Harley winced. That stung. “…because you _love her_.”

“Because I’m _in_ love with her.”

“Harley are yo-“

Ivy suddenly cut herself off as the words started to sink in. Harley wasn’t sure the sudden silence was better than before, but at least Ivy had stopped trying to leave again.

Harley was hyper-aware of her surroundings now, every sound, every rumble was causing her brain to absolutely fritz. _She had dun fucked up. But cat’s out of the bag, might as well spill the beans._ She buried her head in the back of Ivy’s shirt – she couldn’t bear to look up she whatever reaction her friend was displaying on her face.

“Because she’s never going to kiss me again, because she’s marrying _fucking_ Kite Man.”

Absolute silence. Just the sound of the two of them breathing and Harley’s fucking annoying alarm clock ticking. Even the god forsaken screams of New-New Gotham were suddenly silent.

Harley wanted nothing more to go back to sleep and not wake up for the next two weeks. Anything was better than this…absolute pit in the bottom of her stomach. The snakes just wanting to crawl into every orifice of her body.

Harley laughed weakly as she let go of Ivy and gave her a gentle push to the door. “Now you know.” She refused to look up even as she heard Ivy turn towards her. She let out a shaky breath and turned her back towards Ivy.

“Have a good night, Ives.”

It was silent for a long while after – Harley wasn’t sure what was happening or how much time had passed. She assumed Ivy had walked out at some point – her ears were ringing. All she kept hearing were Ivy’s words on repeat in her head…

_Ex-Best Friend._

It seemed like an eternity had passed when the sound finally died down and she was able to get a better gauge of her surroundings. She suddenly became aware of distinctly green arms wrapped around her neck.

Harley started. _Ive’s killin’ me with her bare arms? Why not have the plants do it?_

It took her a second to notice that the arms were _loosely_ thrown around her and Ivy had her head buried in the crook of her neck as well.

“Ive?” Harley was a little too afraid to turn around on the off chance she was hallucinating again.

“Thought I lost you there, for a second Harls. Thought I might have to wake up Psycho again.”

They both let out a half-hearted guffaw at the thought of the micro-man throwing another massive fit.

“Why are you still here?” Harley asked. Her voice came out sounding a lot smaller than she intended.

Ivy removed herself from Harley and sat a few feet away, tugging Harley around to face her.

“I…uh…” Ivy tucked a strand of red hair behind her ear, nervously. “I’m sorry I overreacted. And called you my ex-best friend.”

Harley was taken aback. This was not what she expected.

“You’re not mad?”

Ivy looked at her with an emotion that she could only label as a mixture of confusion and something beyond Harley’s comprehension.

“Ma- Harley, _no_.” She said that so vehemently that Harley had no choice but to believe her.

“Really?” she gave her a slight smile.

“ _Yes_. God, why would you think I hate you for that?”

Harley narrowed her eyes at Ivy, incredulously. _Like you hadn’t just been about to walk out because you thought I –_

“Okay, okay, okay yeah that’s true, I fucked that up.” Ivy interrupted Harley’s thoughts, as if she knew exactly what she had been thinking.

“But I have to know…” Ivy peered up at Harley, almost embarrassed. “What do you want from me?”

Harley started. “I… _nothing_ Ivy. I just want you to be happy. And for you to name your babies Harley.”

Ivy chuckled and playfully swatted at her. “I never agreed to that. But that’s not what I meant.”

Ivy seemed to struggle for a second and Harley could have _sworn_ that her best friend was getting darker by the second.

“I mean…when you said you’re in love with me. What do you mean?”

Harley gaped at her. “Are you shitting me? Like I want to slam you against the wall and fuck your bloody brains out.”

“ _Harley!”_ Ivy hissed. Harley was definitely _not_ imagining it. Ivy’s face had got to be at least 10 shades darker green than the rest of her body. An immense sense of satisfaction rose up within her – _she, Harley Quinn, had managed to embarrass the plant queen of New-New Gotham._

“That’s not what I meant. I mean…I mean, is that all it is to you?” Ivy’s expression was vulnerable as she peered at Harley. “A physical attraction?”

“I – _no._ Ivy. I love everything about you. The way your eyes light up when you’re melting polluters…when you’re so thoughtful you make me a cup of hot cocoa to soothe my nightmares even when we haven’t spoken properly in weeks…” She trailed off staring at Ivy with a small smile.

“I want to wake up with you next to me…to watch _Love it or List it_ and write stupid letters to the producers to renew that god-awful show…to be at your side while we defend the great Barrier reef.”

As she spoke, Harley could have sworn…at least, she _really, really, hoped_ …that her best friend was slowly melting into the sheets.

“You’d really help me write renewal letters for _Love it or List it_?” she asked, smiling softly.

At this point, Harley was trying her damndest not to start getting her hopes up. She was having a hard time squashing that small ray of hope that had nestled in her gut and it was scaring her more than that pit of despair had earlier.

“Okay then,” Ivy smiled, starting to get up.

Harley looked at her, mouth agape.

“I—wha, Ive you can’t just listen to my unadulterated, heartfelt confession of love and just say _okay_ and then _leave_.”

Ivy looked lost for a second as a dozen different expressions flashed across her face. Then, in the next moment, she surged forward and captured Harley’s lips in a chaste but gut-clenching kiss. Harley’s eyes fluttered closed but the kiss was over far too soon. She languidly re-opened her eyes and found herself staring into Ivy’s heated ones.

“ _Okay_.” Ivy’s hand ghosted Harley’s cheek. “I’m calling off the wedding tomorrow.”

“Ive…are you sure?” Harley clutched Ivy’s hand to her cheek, refusing to let her go even as her words said otherwise. “This is what you’ve always wanted…what you’ve been dreaming of.”

“Harley…I…” Ivy averted her eyes. “The truth is, I think I’ve always…kind of…been in love with you. Like from the start. Since you gave me that stupid plant in Arkham.” As Harley’s eyes started to go as wide as saucers, Ivy started to backtrack a little. “I mean…don’t make a big thing of it. You were just so in love with Joker even after all those years and I just…I didn’t have a chance. I wasn’t good enough. And…Kite Man was just such a _nice guy_ …”

“You mean to tell me, this whole time I was obsessed with that fucking clown, I could have been _dating you?_ ” Harley was so livid she was shaking. She threw her cup of hot cocoa at the floor – _why was she still holding it anyways._ Still having the smashing blue-balls, she grabbed the alarm clock on her makeshift dresser – _6:31 am_ – and threw it as hard as she could. It hit the wall and let out a resoundingly satisfying _smash_.

“ _All of that wasted time._ If you had told me about Mr. Ficus maybe I woulda fallen for you _first._ ”

Ivy quirked a smile even as she tried to calm Harley down.

“And what do you _mean_ ….you replaced me with _fucking_ Kiteman instead of saying anything?!”

Ivy threw up her hands silently in self-defense.

“Why didn’t you bring me to my senses earlier…instead of…instead of…” She looked at Ivy suddenly.

“What do you mean?”

Ivy narrowed her eyes slightly in confusion. “uh – what do I mean about what.”

“What you said.”

“Which is – I said a lot of things, Harley,” Ivy rolled her eyes, lightly shaking her head in disbelief.

“That you weren’t good enough.” Harley’s eyes were narrowed to almost slits, she was glaring so hard Ivy thought she might self-combust.

“Uh, I mean…” Ivy was pointedly looking anywhere but Harley as she careful removed her hand from her friend’s grasp.

“You, Pamela Lillian Isley, are the most amazing person in the entire _universe_ and are better than every god-damned person on this entire planet.” Harley grabbed Ivy’s chin and forced her to look Harley dead in the eyes. “Do you understand me?”

“I – _yes_ , Harley.” Her eyes crinkled. “I get it, okay.”

At that moment, staring into Ivy's warm eyes, the weight of their entire conversation suddenly hit Harley – _she loves me too. She fuckin’ loves me too._

And because she was happy and still half-convinced she was hallucinatin’ (or dreamin’…she didn’t know which was worse), she captured Ivy’s lips in a searing kiss. Ivy pulled Harley towards her, running her hands through Harley’s hair as she pushed her back into the bed. Harley’s hands grasped, almost desperately, to hold onto Ivy's back as her lips languidly explored the other’s.

Eventually, they both needed to pull up for air.

“Is this…okay?” Harley asked softly, gazing up at Ivy for permission to go further. Ivy seemed to struggle with herself for a hot second before she pressed a kiss to Harley’s head.

Harley had to fight down the tears that soon followed. _Rejected, huh?_

“Tomorrow." Ivy looked at her pointedly, in response to the silent question. "After everything…I want to do this properly.” Harley’s eyes lit up – tomorrow, she could wait until tomorrow. As Ivy moved to make her leave, Harley grabbed her hand, interlocking their fingers.

“Is it today-tomorrow because it’s technically some time past 6:31am, or is it tomorrow-tomorrow…”

“Harls –”

“Okay, okay, no funny business, I promise,” Harley mimed crossing her heart. “Will you stay though? So I know I didn’t have one hell of a dream?”

Ivy looked at her fondly.

“Sure, Harley, whatever you want.”

As Harley curled up into her ex-best friend and soon to be lover, she sighed contentedly as she drifted off into a peaceful slumber.

Tonight, her dream would finally have the right ending.


End file.
